This invention relates to an apparatus for insect eradication and, more particularly, to an apparatus for the eradication of South American fire ants.
The imported South American fire ant is one of the most harmful and destructive pests in the United States. Many areas of the United States are already infested with the fire ant and the fire ant will, in time, likely inhabit most of the country. These destructive pests form large mound communities which disrupt mechanized farming, damage crops, and may injure or kill livestock. Fire ant mounds are typically two to four feet deep although some fire ant colonies extend twenty feet into the ground with wide spread lateral tunnels. Fire ants are extremely defensive creatures that will attack any attempt to eradicate them. Fire ant bites can be painful and leave small welts on a person's skin. Thus, eradication must be swift and thorough.
Several devices have been proposed for eradicating fire ants, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,054,231 and 5,870,852. The outlet ports of these devices, however, may become clogged as the apparatus penetrates the soil which hinders the fast and thorough eradication of a fire ant colony. It is also difficult to quickly penetrate hardened, dry soil using the previously patented devices.
Therefore, it is desirable to have a fire ant eradication device which forms a bore in the ground having a diameter greater than the diameter of the conduit such that outlet ports through the conduit will not become clogged upon insertion into the ground. It is further desirable to have an apparatus which can be driven into hardened ground with a hammer, if necessary, for fast positioning thereof.